When Faith Is Not Enough
by Merlindamage
Summary: DH Spoilers. Ted Lupin was left with a legacy that he is supposed to fulfill. However, all he knows about his parents is what people tell him. A day out with his Godfather gives him a new outlook on his parents.


Disclaimer: The characters, settings, and places are not mine. The plot is mine. This does contain Deathly Hallows spoilers.

A boy of 11 years old sat in his room. He had just discarded a book entitled Standard Book Of Spells Volume 1. The book fell with a soft thud hitting the hardwood floor. He picked it up and placed it on the bookshelf. He turned around and headed back to his bed, noticing the smiling face of Leon Lurgovich circling the stadium in a poster for the Chudley Cannons. A gentle knock came to his door.

"Come in," he said softly.

A woman with very light brown hair and kind, wide eyes pushed the door open. She smiled kindly at her grandson.

"Teddy, dear, is everything alright?" she asked kindly. She stared at him with concern in her eyes.

"Yeah Grams, everything is fine. Why do you ask?" The boy's penetrating brown eyes stared at his grandmother.

"It's just that you came back from your first year at Hogwarts and you've barely said a word. I just thought something was the matter."

"No, nothing's wrong, Grams. Just a little hungry is all," the Ted Lupin said. He said this quickly.

"Okay. I'll whip something up before your Godfather gets here." She closed the door and Ted heard he make her way back down the stairs.

Ted Lupin loved his grandmother very much. She had raised him since birth, by herself at that. Ted's parents had both perished during the second war. He had only been around them for a few months and had not been old enough to say he had known them when they died. What he did know was what people had told him, and what he had inherited from them.

He was a Metamorphmagus, just like his mother had been before him. He could change his appearance at will. However, when his appearance was normal he was an attractive young man. Closely resembling his father, the boy had light brown hair and brown eyes. He was always told by his grandmother and others that he looked just like Remus.

Making it through the first year at Hogwarts had not been an easy task. It was not for any reason other than what people had said. He had made friends instantly. However, people had started often with the comparisons between him and his father. He could remember some of the things his fellow students had said.

"_Lupin? Are you related to Remus Lupin? My mum told me about how he helped Harry Potter defeat You-Know-Who."_

"_I heard your dad was the best Defense Against The Dark Arts professor that Hogwarts ever had."_

"_The Harry Potter is your godfather?"_

"_I heard your dad was a werewolf."_

The comparisons were endless. He heard from his fellow Gryffindors how their parents had fought along side him at the Battle of Hogwarts. His grandmother had even continued the comparisons herself. Every time he would trip over or break something, he could hear her mumbling. "You're just like your mother," she would say. "She was so clumsy at times. You would have thought someone put a permanent Confundus Charm on her."

These comparisons had done nothing but make the boy wish more and more that he could have known his parents. He wondered if his father had the same gaze that he gave people occasionally, letting them know how much he cared without saying anything. He pondered from which of his parents he had gotten his sense of responsibility from. He knew that if his mother had lived, he would have had the chance to ask her if her hair would change colors depending on her mood as his occasionally did. However, he was living in the past and no matter how much magic he knew, nothing would ever allow him the chance to see them again. He sighed and stood as he heard his name being called from downstairs.

His grandmother had called him to give him some time to eat before his Godfather arrived. His Godfather made it his business to see his godson at least once a week when he was not at Hogwarts. The two were very close. Ted could always count on his Godfather to speak to him honestly, especially when it came to his parents.

Ted Lupin finished eating and waited eagerly for his Godfather to arrive. He would be apparating in. Promptly at five o'clock, he arrived.

His godfather was a handsome man. He had jet black hair, and no matter how much he matted it down, it still stuck up in the back. His emerald green eyes were very deep, yet still kind. He was tall, and on the slender side. The most distinguishing feature of his Godfather was the lightning bolt shaped scar that adorned his forehead. Ted had been told the story of the scar many times, not just by his Godfather, but by countless others.

"Harry, always on time," said the voice of Grams from the kitchen after hearing the pop that accompanied apparation. Harry smiled at his godchild, saying he would be right back. He walked to the kitchen and Ted heard him greeting Grams. After about a minute or so, Harry came back out.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Ted. "Where are we going though?"

"I'm gonna take you to Diagon Alley."

"Oh," said Ted with a little less enthusiasm.

Harry bent a little lower to whisper in Ted's ears. "I'm going to take you to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. I know your grandmother won't let you go in there whenever she takes you. I can't believe you made it through your first year at Hogwarts without at least a few practical jokes," said Harry, grinning

Ted laughed as he said goodbye to his grandmother. He grabbed onto Harry's arm and the duo apparated straight to the Leaky Cauldron.

Silently, he watched as Harry tapped the stones that allowed people to gain entrance to Diagon Alley. They stepped out onto the bright street which was filled with people.

"You want some ice cream?" asked Harry. Ted nodded. After ordering and finding a table on the street, the two began to talk.

"How was your first year at Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"It was great," Ted responded quickly. "I enjoyed it."

Harry smiled. "What's your favorite subject?"

"Charms. Professor Flitwick is great and the class is fun. Charms are really useful, you know?"

"I know what you mean," Harry said, adding some more sprinkles to his ice cream. "Charms was fun. Defense Against The Dark Arts was always my favorite subject. You're father was the best defense teacher during my years at Hogwarts. He was a great man, Remus Lupin," Harry said solemnly.

"Yeah, so I've heard," said Ted bitterly, looking down at his ice cream, trying to see something that wasn't there.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," said Ted slowly.

"You're lying. I can see it in your eyes. What's wrong?"

"It's just that, I get compared to my parents a lot. No one understands what its like. Both of my parents died and I get to school and all anyone really knows is that I'm the son of the werewolf and the auror who helped Harry Potter defeat You-Know-Who."

"Ted, remember who you're talking to. I lost both of my parents to Voldemort. Then I lost my Godfather, Dumbledore, your father, and so many more friends. I know what you're going through. People compare you to them, and in the beginning that's all you're really known for. It doesn't make the situation any better that you look so much like him."

Ted looked thoughtful for a moment. He looked up in the street where he noticed that many people had taken to staring at his godfather as they walked past. He gave Harry a look to see if he noticed. Harry seemed to be so very in to his ice cream that he didn't seem to notice. If he did notice, he was not letting on that he did.

"Harry, how do you know my parents loved me?" Ted asked. The question clearly caught Harry off guard.

"What?" Harry asked, trying to make sure he had heard the question correctly.

"How do you know my parents loved me?" Ted asked again, staring into the deep wells that were Harry's eyes.

"Ted," said Harry heavily, "I know they loved you with all their heart." Harry held up a hand to stop Ted from interrupting. "On the night that you were born, your father bolted over to where we were staying just to announce your birth. The Ministry Of Magic was keeping a watch on him, but he didn't care, because he wanted the world to know that you had arrived. You're mother never left your side, except on the night that they both fought at the Battle Of Hogwarts. She came, despite what people thought she should do, to fight along side him. They both died that night, thinking of you."

"But how can you be sure?"

"I spoke to your father, after he died. I cannot tell you how, but I spoke to him and he said that he was sorry he would never know you, but you should know that he died fighting so that you could live in a better world."

"Really?" said Ted, with the innocence of a child so abundant in his voice. He looked like he had been reborn. "Thank you so much Harry."

"I just had to wait until you were old enough to understand to tell you. You can walk prouder than before, and know that you are the son of the werewolf and the auror and they love you more than you could ever know. Now, finish the ice cream and let's get going."

The duo finished their ice cream and walked slowly down the lane towards the joke shop. The smaller of the two had a new spring in his step. The young boy looked up and saw a white bird fly overhead and into the sunset, and he knew he was loved.


End file.
